


The Empty Town

by MariusAngelicaSue



Category: Original Work
Genre: Dark, Gen, Not really a postapocalyptic story, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-25 10:28:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12034002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MariusAngelicaSue/pseuds/MariusAngelicaSue
Summary: Marcus celebrates his birthday with his parents, despite the hardships that struck their little town nearly a year ago. Now, everything's green: the walls, the furniture, the streets, it's all a soft green.A historic landmark is visited, fences are broken, and tragedies prepare to be celebrated.





	The Empty Town

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this for a little project at school. I'm pretty sure I've combed through all the typos, but if you see any let me know please!
> 
> (I have no idea how to tag original works lol)

It was his birthday that day.  
He opened his eyes, waking from an empty dream, and stared at the old wood of his ceiling, taking a deep breath. The room was very green; the floors, the walls, and even his bed, were all a faded, dark green. He remembered a little less than a year ago when his parents told him how everything was painted green because of a “passing trend”, where everyone wanted to make their houses as green as grass; so, his parents painted their house, their walls and floors green, bought green furniture and a green door. However, they couldn’t afford to change it after the trend had passed, and the house just stayed that way. The same happened to the rest of the neighborhood, and now all of the houses looked like they were simply extensions of the overgrown grass on their front lawns. Sitting up, he scratched his greasy hair and stared at the cracks of sunlight that were shining through where wood had broken and fallen off after months of neglect. He hopped out of bed and slipped into his daily slippers, and began to shuffle towards the kitchen.  
The town of Prompton had always been a very unremarkable place. It was very peaceful, but there wasn’t anything that truly stood out to make it unique. That still didn’t stop it from falling under “economic problems”, as his parents had put it. They said that it was very complicated, but the simpler version was that it was harder to take care of the house and get food for everyone around. All the houses couldn’t be properly taken care of, and it became harder and harder to get food. Eventually they were all forced to spend their days scouring for food outside, and so the house were now forever unkempt and dirty. He never found out why things got so much harder for all of them, but he had often heard his father grumble about some “government leaving them behind”. Unfortunately, he had never figured out who this “government” was. Whenever he asked any further, his parents would simply frown and say that he would understand once he was older.  
He rubbed the sand from his eyes to look up and see the smiling faces of his mother and father. They both looked ecstatic to see him, although their eyes showed that they were very tired; he wondered if they had stayed up late last night to get some extra food.  
“Good morning, Marcus,” his mother whispered, wiggling her fingers in a little wave. She always loved doing that wave when she was in a good mood; Marcus wondered what they were thinking. “Do you remember what day it is today?”  
Marcus looked between them, still rubbing an eye, and gave a shrug. However, after a pause, he gave a small nod. “‘S my birthday.” he mumbled. It was going to be the first birthday since life had gotten so difficult for all of them. Were they going to arrange something nice again, like all the other years? Marcus lowered his hand; he didn’t think that they could afford to get him something special. “Why is it important?” he asked, giving a questioning look to each of them.  
“Well it’s ‘cause you’re growing into a big boy, son!” his father grinned. “You’re going to be six, and we want to make sure today is special for you.” He reached out to ruffle his son's hair, but then his hand froze, and he quickly withdrew it. “You’ve been trying so hard to help us out ever since things got tough, and we’re so proud of you! So, we’re going to give you something special today.”  
Marcus blinked in shock. Would they really? How? His face broke into an excited smile. “What is it?”  
His mother put a hand over her mouth and giggled. “It’s a surprise, and it's going to take all day to prepare it, so you just go outside and find some food for yourself like usual, okay?”  
Marcus felt himself bouncing a little, and nodded vigorously. He quickly went back to his bedroom to start getting dressed in his outdoor clothes. He stripped off his old, thin pajamas and put on some shorts. They were an old pair of pants that stretched down to his knees; he had grown too tall for them years before the hardship came, but now they were one of the few pieces of clothing that hadn't been torn to shreds. He pulled out his favorite t-shirt, which had lost its original color and was almost entirely white at that point, but what was important was that it was mostly free of rips and tears. He used the shirt as rarely as possible, and only when he really needed to, such as when it was colder or when he was having a bad day. Luckily, Prompton was very warm, and winter was always just a pitiful layer of snow for a week before it was all over, so the shirt lasted a long time. He slipped on the shirt, enjoying the feeling of having it wrap around him, like he was in a constant hug; The other t-shirts had many more holes, so the air was often drifting in, and it was always weird to have the loose strands constantly tickling him whenever he moved. He ran his fingers over the edge of the shirt, almost the entire way around without feeling any torn fabric tickling his hands, and sighed. Grinning, he put on his outdoor shoes, and was ready to head out of the door until his father gave a loud call to grab his attention.  
“Remember, you need to be here before sundown; by then we’ll have the surprise ready, alright?” Marcus nodded, and then continued out the door after he heard another goodbye from his father. He sprinted a few meters out of the house before he suddenly slowed down to a cautious walk, after he remembered that he had to keep an eye on the ground to make sure to not step on anything sharp. While his shoes helped a little, any broken glass or rusty nail could poke through them easily, so he always had to be careful. He shifted into his normal habit, his chin nearly at his chest as he shuffled along, making sure not to step on anything.  
Slowly, but surely, he began making his way to his usual scavenging spot: the local pond. It had a small stream running through it, so if he was going to find anything new, it would be there. He would always check there first before searching the rest of the neighborhood, and would then come back to check it again after he was done. Its water was dark, and his parents had always warned him not to drink it. He usually followed the rule, but he did remember one time when they couldn’t find any other options for water, and out of desperation he dipped his face into the stream and drank some while his parents weren't looking. He remembered feeling so ashamed when his parents found out and worried over him for days, and it took a long time for his parents to let him go the stream alone again.  
Marcus crouched down and stared at the banks around the small pond, checking to see if anything had washed up onto them, and then stared at the surface of the water to see if there was anything floating. His eyes caught onto a bright glimmer on the other side of the pond. Standing back up, he carefully placed his feet on the edges of the pond and began making his way around the bank, careful not to trip and fall into the water. His feet collided with the soft mud as he hopped over to the spot that had the shine, and dug his hands in to find the object. He felt his fingers wrap around something smooth, and he pulled his hand out to see them grasping around an old, golden ring with a small, shimmering gemstone. It was worn, but Marcus stared as it reflected the sun in a yellow glow. Smiling, he put the ring in a pocket, and continued searching through the pond. 

~~~~

After he had thoroughly checked the pond, he began making his way into the neighborhood to get to his next favorite searching spot. Aside from the ring, he wasn’t able to find anything else that had washed in. As he skipped down the street, he began to wonder what the surprise his parents were preparing could be. He looked up to see some of the neighbors outside; A few were sitting on their green porches, including Mrs. Spinks, while others were chatting quietly. Marcus smiled and gave a wave to Mrs. Spinks, who gave a wave back before calling, “Happy Birthday, Marcus!”  
Two of the neighbors who were talking to Mrs. Spinks, Ruth and Shay, looked down at Marcus in surprise after hearing what she said. “Oh, it’s your birthday today?” Ruth asked.  
Marcus gave a small nod, and Shay smiled. “That’s great! I bet your parents are setting something up for you?”  
Another nod.  
The two chuckled a little. “Well, I hope you have a good birthday today, then.” Ruth smiled. Marcus gave a thank you, before waving and walking away. All the neighbors were always so nice to him, even if they were very reserved.  
Marcus remembered asking his father about the other neighbors and their food. He never saw them scouring for food like he did, and he wondered if they had some special spots that had lots of food. His father had simply replied and said that the neighbors went to spots that were much farther away, which was why Marcus, who was always searching in the neighborhood, never saw them working.  
Marcus looked at the neighbors all out and talking, and wondered if one of their relatives was out in one of those far off spots, searching for food to bring back to their family.  
Shrugging, Marcus continued skipping down the street, thinking of what he could find at his next spot. 

~~~

Marcus often passed by a large clearing between the neighborhood and the forest, and he would habitually check it for anything, but most of the time it was empty.  
Which was why he was so surprised when he saw a small, dirty plastic bag in the middle of it that day. The bag was ripped up, with several small holes messily torn into it; some animal seemed to have tried getting into it. Picking it up, he looked inside, and was thrilled to find several pretzels. While they weren’t the most filling, there was certainly enough of them to make up for that. Grinning, he ripped open the bag and pulled out a single pretzel. He cracked it open and stared at the inside, relieved to find green spots inside of the snack. Knowing the pretzel was good, he popped it into his mouth, before grabbing another pretzel and doing the same process again.  
He thought back to what his parents had told him to do when he found food. He always had to make sure that it was clean, or else he could get badly sick, and none of them would be able to afford to get help for something like that. They told him to always look for the green in the foods, because that meant it was clean. He remembered how they repeated the phrase Green means Clean to him over and over, and how he constantly chanted it when he first started searching for food. Whether the green was in spots, or it was in a whole color, green was still a sign that the food was safe to eat.  
Before he even realized it, Marcus was staring at the bottom of an empty plastic bag. Sighing, he crumpled it up and shoved it into his pocket for later use. At least it was nice while it lasted, and he got a mostly intact plastic bag out of it. 

~~~

It had seemed like the sun would never go down, but it finally did, and Marcus found himself jogging home in his excitement. Soon, he saw the shape of his house in the moonlight, with his mother and father standing in the front lawn, waiting for him. He stopped in front of them, catching his breath, and looked up at the two with a big smile on his face. “Is the surprise ready?” he questioned eagerly.  
His mother gave a laugh, looking down at her bouncing son. “It sure is, sweetie,” she replied, which only made Marcus bounce even faster and higher. He spun around, trying to see if his surprise was nearby. “Where is it?” he asked, looking up at his parents.  
His father looked back at him with gentle eyes, and bent down to Marcus’ eye level. “Do you remember the cliff? The one on the edge of town?”  
Marcus tilted his head, scrunching up his face in confusion. “Yes?”  
“Well, that's where we’re going for your surprise!”  
“But you guys said never to go there-”  
His father put a hand in front of Marcus’ face, cutting him off. He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. “Look, I know that you're usually not allowed to go near that cliff, but today's special. You're growing up, and it's about time that we shared something important with you.”  
After times got harder for Prompton, Marcus’ parents became more and more distant to him. Many nights he would go to bed without a kiss from his mother, and would have to listen to his parents murmuring in the other room instead of a song to lull him to sleep. Now that it was his birthday, he wondered if he could ask for a hug from them. He reached out a hand to grasp his father's Arm, but felt disappointment well up in his throat when he saw him flinch away from the silent request.  
The two parents shared an uncomfortable glance with each other, before the three began walking away from the house and heading towards the cliff for Marcus’ surprise. 

~~~

The moon was only half full that night, and Marcus had to keep a careful eye on the ground ahead of him in order to make sure he didn’t trip over anything. While the rejection for his request for affection was still felt in the back of his throat, he was at least glad to have his parents walking alongside him. They were often gone during the day, busy collecting some food for themselves and for some of the older neighbors, and when they were home they preferred to keep a distance with their son. Marcus stared at the two pairs of legs walking by him, and the hand of his mother swinging by his head, and felt a strong desire to reach out and hold it. He thought about how nice it would be to feel the warmth of his mother’s palm, how her fingers would squeeze around his, giving him some comfort in the cold night. He almost tried it, but remembering his father earlier, he kept his arms at his side. At least they were next to him now, he thought, focusing on the warmth emanating from them, and wrapped his arms around himself to try and stop himself from shivering.  
The walk lasted for a few more minutes in silence as the three moved further away from the town. Marcus looked up to see what little light that was coming off of the moon being blocked off by jagged tree branches. The path became darker and darker, and Marcus slowed down, worried he would hit his foot against something. His parents weren’t moving as slowly, so he stared as they walked ahead of him, their hands intertwined.  
Suddenly, the two figures stopped. He quietly caught up to them, as the two stared down at him, a small ray of moonlight shining behind them. Marcus was able to recognize his father’s glasses on one of the figures, and the curly hair for his mother. His father had his hands in his pocket, while his mother had her arms wrapped around her, the shine of her eyes just barely visible in the dark. The two turned to look at the space ahead of them, and Marcus squinted his eyes to see a dark patch in front of them; They had made it to the cliff.  
Marcus looked around, trying to see if there was anything else around him, like decorations for his birthday, maybe a small present or two.  
“Where's the surprise?” Marcus asked, looking back up at his parents. His father lifted an arm and pointed to a shadow across from the cliff.  
“There's a ledge on the other side. We need to jump there to get to the surprise."  
Marcus tilted his head in confusion, before carefully walking towards the hem of the cliff and looking over the edge. He couldn't see the bottom in all of the darkness, and he imagined something reaching out of it and pulling him down while he was jumping. He gave a nervous whimper and shuffled away from the cliff.  
Seeing his son’s nervousness, his father gave a small sigh, and judging from the tone of voice, Marcus could tell that he had a small, comforting smile on his face. “It's a little scary, I know, but you don't need to be worried. Look, your mom and I will jump first to show you how easy it is.”  
Marcus watched in fear as the two shadows in the shape of his parents calmly walked to the edge of thecliff, and then, one at a time, jumped.  
His father was first. Marcus watched as the man bent his knees and leaned forward, before he stretched his legs and leaped across the cliff. He was swift, silent, and before Marcus knew it, on the other side. Marcus squinted his eyes, trying to spot his father in the dark, but he couldn’t find him. It wasn’t until his father called out to him was Marcus able to pinpoint his location.  
“See? I’m alright. Look, now watch your mother jump, and then you’ll try.”  
After hearing that command from his father, Marcus then looked up to the remaining figure next to him, and saw that she was already moving towards the cliff. She too, was very swift as she leapt off of the edge, her long skirt quietly flapping as she reached the other side. And just like his father, Marcus wasn’t able to see where she went in all of the darkness, but he could hear her voice.  
“Alright sweetie, now it’s your turn!” Don’t worry, we’ll be waiting here to catch you!”  
Marcus looked at the gap again, and felt his throat tighten a little at the sight of it. His mother’s words were soothing, but he wondered if they would be able to see and catch him if something went wrong with his jump. Marcus shook his head a little, trying to dispel the thought. His parents were bigger and stronger, their eyes were probably a lot better than his were. Clenching his fists, Marcus began backing away from the cliff edge, and stopped a little distance away. He glared at the dark hole, and he could feel his breath accelerate.  
“I’m coming, mom!”  
Stepping forward, he began to make a running start. 

~~~

Samantha had always found the town interesting at night. She stared at the tall fence before her, as well as the sharp barbed wire at the top and bottom of the fence. The moonlight peeked through thin, dead branches and shone on the slightly rusty metal. She sighed, and looked at the landscape behind the branches. The plants were overgrown, poking and curling through the holes of the fence, and if she squinted, she could make out a misshapen and broken down road behind them, its cracks being widened with wild grasses.  
Samantha took a deep breath as she stared at the ruined town. Prompton had always creeped her out, and she had to remind herself to breathe whenever she got near it. Before it turned into this, the town had always been much more separated from largely populated areas, and bad things rarely happened.  
Perhaps that was why they weren’t able to get proper help in time?  
Nobody knew what exactly happened to the place. Whether it was a government project gone wrong, or the first testing of a terrorist weapon, all people knew was that the town had been struck with a strange disease. Evidence showed that it had been put in the town’s water and even some of their food, and quickly spread to all of the residents of the town. Nobody survived.  
Samantha’s mother had been assigned to investigate more on what happened to the town after all the residents in the town died, so she came every few months to gather some samples of the water, as well as see if the disease was even still there. Often times Samantha didn’t come along, but in this case her father was on a business trip, and so Samantha was forced to travel with her mother over break. They had already been there for several days, and it seemed that the two of them were going to leave by the end of the week.  
Samantha had expected the trip to be very boring for her while she waited for her mother to finish up what she had needed to do. And while the story of Prompton was interesting to her, she didn’t expect to learn much more than she already knew by visiting the town over reading about it. And while she didn’t want to admit it, she felt a little scared to be so close to the town. She knew that it was already proven that the disease couldn’t travel by air, but she was still worried, and she was still very careful, along with her mother, to not get infected in any way.  
However, that night Samantha couldn’t feel that worry.  
The story of the town disturbed her to no end, sure, but it wasn’t because she was worried she was going to die. When she saw the town for the first time, saw those broken down houses covered in green plants, saw all of the infrastructure being overtaken by nature, Samantha felt a deep fascination with the town. Perhaps it was because she had never seen how plants could cover such an empty town, or perhaps because with the image of the town in her mind, the events of what happened were much more vivid.  
Regardless, she found herself at the fence, a hand rested on the metal wiring, and she continued to stare at the land before her. While it was certainly a sight in the daytime, it looked so much more fascinating at night. She watched how the moonlight reflected across the grass, making everything pale and old, and how the shadows highlighted the cracks and breaks in the houses, which had grown over the past year of being abandoned. Samantha imagined herself walking around, her footsteps muffled by the moss covering the streets, making her way through the maze of broken down cars, buildings, and roads.  
Samantha felt a shiver, and hugged herself. She wasn’t sure whether it was because of the cold night air, or because of the town, but either way, Samantha needed to go back. Sighing, she began to walk away, pulling her eyes away from the image of the town past the fence, which was now imprinted into her mind.  
However, Samantha felt herself stop, and turn around. She scanned the forest again.  
Did I just hear someone? She thought.  
She kept her ears perked, checking for another sound. She thought she had heard a whimper, or some sort of cry nearby. And even though it had been quiet, the night was quieter, and cleanly carried the sound through the forest. About to give up, Samantha slowly turned around, assuming the voice had been her imagination, when she head it again. But this time, it was a sentence.  
“I’m coming mom!”  
Samantha whipped around and slammed her hands on the fence, shaking it a little. She felt the barbed wire at her ankles prick her through her jeans, but she barely noticed.  
“Hello? Is someone out there?” Samantha called, looking around. There was no way that she had imagined that last line. From the sound of it, it seemed to have come from a child, making the situation even more confusing. What was someone doing on the other side of the fence, let alone a child? Samantha began moving along the fence, trying to see if the person was behind a tree or something. She called out again. “Where are you?”  
And then she saw it. She had almost missed it, because it was being blocked from the moonlight by the densely packed trees, but it was there: a small shadow, only a few feet tall, on the edge of a cliff, and from the looks of it, facing her.  
“Hey, kid!” Samantha called out, panic beginning to set into her voice. “What are you doing there? It’s not safe!”  
She saw the child recoil a little at her shouting, and Samantha watched in horror as the shadow gave a small gasp, and stumbled off the edge of the cliff. 

~~~

Marcus had begun running when he had suddenly heard a distant voice.  
“Hello? Is someone out there?”  
He felt his feet plant themselves into the ground as he slid to the edge of the cliff, trying to stop his jump and catch his balance. The voice wasn’t from either of his parents, and he couldn’t recognize it as any of his neighbors. He turned towards the source of the calling and saw something moving along the other side of the fence.  
“Son? What is it? Did you jump?” He heard his father question.  
Marcus didn’t answer, and instead began slowly taking a step towards the fence, when he saw the figure stop and stare at him. He flinched a little, uncomfortable to be under their gaze.  
“Hey, kid! What are you doing there? It’s not safe!” He heard them shout. It sounded like the voice of a woman. Behind him, he could hear his parents as well.  
“Marcus, who is that? Why aren’t you jumping?”  
“What’s going on? What are you doing?  
Marcus felt overwhelmed with all the different voices directed at him, and he took a step back, only to feel a sinking feeling in his gut as his foot came upon no solid object, and his back hit the dirt as he began rolling down the steep hill.  
He heard the stranger yell “No!”, and the voices of his parents calling his name after him. He felt the twigs and grasses poke into him and scrape him as he continued tumbling down. Then, before he knew it, he was at the bottom, dizzy and sore all over.  
I’m not dead? He found himself thinking as he realized that he had stopped rolling. Groaning, he began to sit up, and felt several pains across him. He felt something wet on several spots on his body, and when he poked them, they stung. How badly scraped was he? Would his parents be able to help him with this? Marcus felt his eyes water up, and he tried his best not to cry. This birthday was going terribly; he wondered if his parents were mad at him for falling down.  
It was then when Marcus noticed a glint near his foot. He bent down to look at it, and realized that it was the ring he had found earlier, reflecting a sliver of moonlight shining into the ditch. He reached down to grab it, and it was at that moment that he felt something else brush against his skin. It was cold and it felt dry to his touch. Putting the ring back in his pocket, he wrapped his fingers around the object; It was curved, and smooth on one end, but jagged on the other. Grabbing it, he held it up in the moonlight, and saw what it was.  
It was a bone with teeth across one side of it. But it wasn't a skull; at least, not the whole thing. Marcus dropped it in shock before looking back at the pile behind him. Swallowing nervously and taking a deep breath, he put his hand in, feeling the same texture before, but also the feel of worn fabric. He pulled it out, and saw the faint blues and greens in it, with small plastic beads sewed in.  
The same fabric that he had seen his mother wearing less than two minutes ago.  
Marcus reached into the pile again, and pulled out another article of clothing: It was a nice shirt, dark grey with a pocket on the breast.  
The same shirt his father wore underneath his dark coat.  
He kept pulling more and more objects into the moonlight, all of them belonging to his parents; a black hat, a ripped up shawl, a thick coat, a pair high heels.  
Two small bones with golden rings on them.  
Marcus stared down at the pile he had brought into the moonlight, trying to figure out what it meant. Did his parents die when they jumped earlier? How could he hear them afterwards then?  
Were they ever there?  
He thought back to all the times his father never touched him, how is mother jerked away whenever he tried to hug her.  
He thought back to all the times when he never saw his parents, or any of his neighbors, hunting for food like he did.  
He kept standing there, letting all the thoughts roll through his head as he stared at the pile of clothes mixed in with bones. Then suddenly, he heard a voice; the voice of his mother.  
“Sweetie, are you alright? I heard you fall, so I came down and-oh.”  
If she had footsteps, he likely would have heard them stop as soon as she saw what he had discovered. He kept his back turned to her for a moment longer, before turning around to see the guilty expression on his mother’s face. Her eyes were wide with worry and she had a hand over her mouth. She looked like she wanted to say something, but couldn't find the right words.  
“Marcus, w-we just, we didn't-”  
“Are there any neighbors like me?”  
His mother stopped her stammering and looked at him straight in the eyes, surprised by the question.  
“Or are they all like you?”  
She nervously bit her lip and looked down. “They're...like us.”  
Marcus felt his eyes water up. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and sniffled. “Mommy...you and Dad never liked it when I lied to you. Why did everyone else do it?”  
His mother opened her mouth to give an answer, but before she could say anything a deep and commanding voice called down at her.  
“Nicole! Is Marcus down there?”  
Both Marcus and his mother looked up to the source of the voice, but he couldn't see in the dark; She seemed to see her husband, though, and she called back at him.  
“I can't find him, he must have run off somewhere!”  
She did it again, Marcus thought nervously, wringing his hands.  
“Why'd you do that?” He asked as his mother turned back to him. She gave a small smile, but there was still worry in her eyes. She bent down to look at him at his eye level.  
“Look, Marcus, he wants you to…he wants you to stay, but that's not what you deserve. You deserve so, so much more. More than either of us could ever give you.  
“I didn't know that there was anyone nearby, none of us did. But whoever they are, I know they won't stay here forever. We’re far away from any other towns, especially after the water was tainted.”  
His mother pointed up to the edge of the ditch, where Marcus could vaguely hear that female voice shouting still.  
“Go with her Marcus. She's like you, and I know she can help you. Please, before your father come finds you.”  
Marcus looked at her directly in her eyes, and he could see the determination and honesty in them. There was no forced smile, no cute nicknames to try and hide the situation they were in.  
It hurt Marcus, to see that honesty there after so long, but a part of him was happy that it was there. He looked up to the top of the ditch above him, and then back at his mother, and took a deep breath, and finally asked the question he had wanted to ask for a year now.  
“Can I hold your hand?”  
His mother flinched, her eyes widening, but she took a deep breath, and sadly held out her hand, the palm up for his hand to rest on.  
Marcus reached to place his hand in her palm, a sliver of hope that he'd feel her warm touch, but felt nothing but cold despair when his hand goes through hers, just as a part of him expected. Nonetheless, he put up his hand, and she placed her palm where his is, and it looked so much that they're touching that Marcus could almost believe it, were it not for the cold wind blowing through his mother and onto his palm. She slowly lowered her hand, her sad eyes on the ground.  
“I'm sorry.” She whispered, her voice cracking and on the edge of tears.  
And with that, she stood up again and began walking the other way into the dark. He knew there was only the other side of the ditch there, but unsurprisingly there were no sounds of someone climbing back up.  
His cheeks felt warm, and he rubbed his hand to his face to feel something wet running down it.  
Sniffling, he wiped away the rest of the tears, before turning around, stepping over the pile of clothes and bones, and began climbing back up the ditch. 

~~~

Samantha had continued yelling after the kid had fallen down, hoping she'd get a reply to signify that he was alright, and she felt herself panic when she didn't hear anything from down below. She stared at the dark hole, her hands pressed against the fence for a few seconds, before she cursed under her breath and began searching the fence; there were few people here taking care of the fence, and the year of neglect left it rusted and weak, some sort of hole had to have opened up in all that time.  
Then she saw it: the metal wires sunken inwards, fraying on the other side of the fence. It would be completely fine getting in, although getting out, Samantha would probably find herself getting poked a lot.  
But she barely thought of that as she quickly squirmed through the hole and popped out the other side, breathing heavily and frantically looking around the edge of the cliff. She continued walking around, the grasses crunching underneath her feet. “Kid? Are you alright? Hello?”  
There was no response. Samantha felt her throat tighten up, and she began to try and will her feet to move closer towards the cliff edge. They began to slowly shuffle forward, and she looked over, hoping that she wouldn’t find some mangled corpse at the bottom. But all that greeted her were more shadows; Samantha wasn’t sure whether she felt better or worse at the sight. But at that moment, she heard a rustling. She whipped her head up, and she saw the figure of the child, hugging himself near a bush, away from the edge.  
“How’d you…?” Samantha trailed off, before shaking her head, and walking towards him. “Are you okay?”  
The shadow of the kid seemed to look away, before quietly nodding.  
“Who are you?”  
The kid paused, before walking forward into the moonlight, becoming fully visible to her.  
His eyes were sunken, with dark shadows underneath them. He looked pale, and his ragged clothes were loose on his thin body. His skin had a strange shade, although she guessed that it was caused by the moonlight. He was covered in scrapes, as well as a few growing bruises. But what caught Samantha’s attention the most were his eyes; They were glistening with tears, but the expression was telling her so much more.  
They were the eyes of someone who had died, and then come back.

~~~

Marcus stared up at the strange girl before her. He didn't know what to say, and all the questions she kept asking him just made him more and more nervous. She must have noticed, because when he didn’t give her any answers, she just looked back at the fence and sighed.  
“I’m sorry kid, I don’t know what's going on here, but I shouldn’t be pressuring you like this.”  
She bent down on one knee, and he looked at her straight in the eye.  
“But could you at least tell me what you’re doing on this side of the fence?”  
Marcus looked away in thought, before taking a deep breath, hugging himself even tighter, and giving a response.  
“This is my home. But, I think I need to leave it now.”  
The girl cocked her head to the side in confusion, but just shook it shortly afterward and sighed again. “Alright. Look, it’s not safe for you to be over here, but my mom and I can help take care of you until we find your parents, okay?”  
Marcus felt himself stiffen a little, before nodding. The girl must have noticed his reaction at the mention of his parents, and her eyes widened in worry. But she quickly dispelled the expression and went back to a comforting expression before holding out a hand. “My name’s Samantha. What’s yours?”  
Marcus stared at the outstretched hand, and felt his chest tighten at the reminder of his conversation with his mother a minute ago. He stared at the hand, lit up by the moon, and cautiously raised an arm. But then he caught a closer look at her hand, and paused. He stared at the light peach color of her fingers, the tints of reds on across her palm, how it contrasted with the green tints on Marcus’ hands, and the green freckles covering his body.  
Green means clean.  
He tightened his hands into fists, and pressed his arms to his side. Samantha once again gave a confused and hesitant look, her head tilted, but then nodded and lowered her hand. She gestured towards the hole in the fence, and began to walk towards it. Marcus began quietly following her, who kept looking back to make sure that he was behind her. He watched as she moved through the fence, trying her hardest not to get pricked by the frayed metal wires, before he followed suit.  
Once they made it through the hole, Samantha turned back to Marcus. “You still haven’t told me who you are yet. Is it alright for me to learn your name?”  
He scrunched up his shoulders and looked down, clenching his fists, before quietly whispering “Marcus.”  
“Okay, Marcus. Is there anyone in the town? My mom and I can look for them in the morning.”  
Marcus looked back at the overgrown streets, the “green” paint.  
The words of his mother rang back to him. They’re all like us.  
“No. There’s just me.”


End file.
